Dad, Who is Really the Bravest?
by slytherclaw7
Summary: Along with Snape, there were many people in Harry's life who he considered to be the "bravest." But the title "bravest" can only apply to one person – which one? Oneshot. Complete.


**Summary:** Along with Snape, there were many people in Harry's life who he considered to be the "bravest." But the title "bravest" can only apply to one person – which one?

 **Note:** You might notice that there are a few minor details that go against canon; I have changed them for the purpose of making the story flow. Also, the snippets are in chronological order, which is why the excerpt from the Epilogue is stuck in the middle of the fic. Hope you enjoy it, and PLEASE REVIEW!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters, storylines, etc. associated with the Harry Potter series.

* * *

"Daddy," 3 year old Lily whined, "I don't want to go to Aunt Hermione's again!"

"Yeah! Why can't we come with you, Mum, and Uncle Ron get to go to a Quidditch game? Aunt Hermione makes us read every time we go there!" James chimed in.

"She even quizzes us on what we read!" Albus echoed. Panic and worry quickly broke out on the three children's faces.

Harry sighed. Bending down to strap on Lily's shoes, he patiently responded. "Your mum has to report today's game, and Uncle Ron and I are joining her since you three little devils along with Rose and Hugo gave us a huge headache when they came over here last week. Ron and I are done with fixing exploding objects every few seconds. Your Aunt Hermione was nice enough to agree to babysit all five of you today, so you have no choice but to go."

"But Aunt Hermione is so boring! Why can't we go to Uncle George's house? Or even Aunt Fleur's! At least she doesn't make us read!" James exclaimed.

Harry looked each of the children in their eyes. "Look, your Aunt Hermione is one of the bravest people I know. Not only for agreeing to look after you five kids – she deserves an Order of Merlin for that – but she's always stuck by me, even when others doubted me. She has saved my life so many times – I don't know what I would I have done without her. She may seem boring, but she's absolutely brilliant for a reason, so you should try to learn something from her."

James, Albus, and Lily just looked at him skeptically. Harry sighed again. "At the very least, try to pass her reading quizzes. The quicker you pass them, the quicker you can play. And don't tell her I said that."

* * *

"Happy birthday, Teddy!" Lily bounced onto Teddy's bed as the alarm clock buzzed off at 8 o'clock. "Get up, get up, get up!"

Teddy groaned. "Lily, it's the first day of break. I was planning to sleep in…" Teddy covered his face using his pillow.

"But it's your birthday! No one sleeps in on their birthday! Especially not their seventeenth!"

Teddy removed his pillow from his face. "That's right! I'm seventeen now! I can finally use magic!" Reached for his wand, which lay on his nightstand, Teddy cried out, "Rictusempra!"

"TEDDY!" Lily screamed, gasping for air. "Stop – tickling – me! TEDDY! STOP IT!"

"You reminded me that I can use magic anytime, Lily," Teddy smirked, "and it serves you right for waking me up at this hour!"

"What's going on here?" Ginny leaned against the door frame, frowning at the sight of Lily giggling endlessly on Teddy's bed.

"Teddy – put – a – tickling – charm – on – me!" Lily wheezed, tears now pouring down her face.

Harry had now joined Ginny at the door. He aimed his wand at Lily, who was now rolling on Teddy's bed, clutching her stomach. "Finite!"

Relieved of the tickling, Lily breathed in and out of a few times before tackling Teddy. "Teddy almost killed me, Mummy, Daddy!"

Ginny raised her left eyebrow. "Why were you in Teddy's room in the first place?"

"To wake Teddy up, of course! It's his birthday!"

"Yes, yes, it's his birthday. But it's also the first day of Memorial Break [a holiday to commemorate the end of the War] for Teddy… Well whatever, you're both up now, so come downstairs when you're ready."

Harry cleared his throat. "Actually, Teddy, before you head down to breakfast, I want to talk to you about something." Sensing Lily's protests, he added, "No, Lily, you can't join us."

Nodding at Harry, Ginny pulled Lily out of Teddy's room before Lily could do anything. Lily's protests faded as the mother and daughter walked away from his room.

"Happy birthday, Teddy," Harry said as both of them sat down on Teddy's bed. "I have a few things to give you."

Teddy looked puzzled as Harry reached into his bag and pulled out a golden watch.

"That's your watch," Teddy noticed, "Surely you're not giving it to me?"

Harry smiled. "It's a tradition to gift a witch or wizard a watch on his or her seventeenth birthday. On my seventeenth, Molly gave me this watch. It actually belonged to her brother Fabian prior, so this watch has quite a bit of history – and now it belongs to you."

"I – I – I don't know what to say, Harry," Teddy stammered, "Thank you."

Harry reached into his bag again and pulled out a few envelopes. "That's not all. I think you'd like these a bit more. Your father left me a few letters he and your mother wrote before the Battle. He left instructions to only give them to you on your seventeenth birthday."

"My parents wrote these," Teddy whispered as he carefully fingered the envelopes. "When I was younger, I would have done anything to read letters my parents wrote to me. But now, now..."

"You're scared that these letters will destroy your mental images of them, right?"

Teddy nodded.

"I know what you're thinking right now, Teddy. I grew up always being told that my parents were brilliant, heroic, some of the best students to walk in Hogwarts even. In my fifth year, I saw a memory of my father bullying another student, and my carefully constructed images of the heroes my parents were all came crashing down," Harry reminisced, "Teddy, you need to remember that everyone is human. No one, not even your parents, is flawless. These letters are just physical evidence of the humans your parents were. They won't change the fact that your mother was spunky, lively, and had pink hair, or how your father was extremely caring and knowledgeable but a little insecure. Your parents were two of the bravest individuals I was ever fortunate to meet, and their love for you was insurmountable as well."

Teddy nodded again, his eyes glistening with tears. "Thanks, Harry."

* * *

"So, James, who's your favorite professor so far?" Ginny asked, as Albus and Lily shuffled out into the dining room. James had just arrived home for Christmas break after his first semester at Hogwarts.

"Well, Professor Williams is awesome! He taught a lot of different Dark creatures in Defense the past few weeks."

Harry smiled. "It's nice that you have decent Defense classes now. Out of my 6 Defense professors, only 1 of them was actually a good teacher."

"How's Herbology going? How is Neville – Lily, don't tickle your brother at the dining table!" Ginny scolded Lily.

James swallowed his mouthful of casserole before answering. "Neville's great – but it's so weird to have to call him 'Professor Longbottom' at school! And seeing him in a greenhouse every day, being so nice to everyone – even the Slytherins – it's so hard to imagine that he's a war hero too!"

"I'm glad to hear that he's being fair to everyone. And he's always been helping me in Herbology at school, so I'm not surprised that he's a great professor." Ginny responded.

"War heroes are still human beings, James," Harry stated, "And even so, Neville's much more of a hero than he projects himself to be. He was in charge of the entire Hogwarts student body while I was on the run in seventh year, and he personally slayed Voldemort's pet snake. Even in first year, he was courageous to stand up to Ron, Hermione, and me when we sneaked out of our dorms – mind you, just because we sneaked out past curfew doesn't mean you should. He's one of the bravest people I ever met, but he doesn't try to show it, so you shouldn't judge him on what he seems like."

"Yeah, yeah – don't judge a hippogriff by its wings, I know, Dad!" James exclaimed, exasperated. "Did you know there's now a statue of you in the school courtyard now?"

Harry's fork stopped in midair. "Wait, what?"

* * *

Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

 _"What if I'm in Slytherin?"_

 _The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere that fear was._

 _Harry crouched down so that Albus's face was slightly above his own. Alone of Harry's three children, Albus had inherited Lily's eyes._

 _"Albus Severus," Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to rose, who was now on the train, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."_

 _"But just say—"_

 _"—then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"It did for me," said Harry._

* * *

"Uncle Harry?" a head peeked into the fireplace in Harry's study. "Can I come over?"

"Rose? Yeah, come over if your parents are fine with it."

A few seconds later, a 15-years old Rose Weasley tumbled out of the fireplace.

"Have a seat, Rose," Harry gestured his niece to the chair across his desk, "What's the matter?"

Rose nervously twirled her hair around her index finger. "You know how you finally told Al and me the entire story of the War last weekend?"

It was a Weasley custom to tell the next generation the full story of the War, every detail, once they have turned fifteen. All the kids knew the general gist of the War of Blood Purity and their family's involvement in the War, but not the darker details. Thus, the generation of Weasleys who had fought in the War had gathered to describe the War in all its glory to Rose and Albus last Sunday, three days after Rose had turned fifteen.

"Yes. I expect you have a few questions?" Rose wasn't Hermione's daughter for nothing, after all. Hermione's insatiable curiosity had passed on to her eldest child.

"Well, I do have a few questions…" Rose drifted off, unsure of how to continue. "But one part of the entire story bothers me the most."

"Hmm, which part?" Harry inquired.

"I don't understand why Dad left you guys during the Horcrux Hunt," Rose blurted out, "It bothers me that my father – someone who pounded the idea of loyalty into my head since I was a baby – abandoned his two best friends in their quest to save the world. And why you still forgave him. None of it makes sense."

Harry nodded, understanding now why Rose was so nervous. She was having doubts about her father because of his actions during the War.

"That's quite a difficult question, Rose," Harry responded, "I don't expect you to fully understand what your father was going through, but you need to remember that we were at war. War changes people – it changes how people act, how people think – "

"But neither you nor Mum abandoned the mission!" Rose interrupted, "Only Dad ran away!"

"Your dad had more fears and insecurities than Hermione or me," Harry replied calmly, "He had family to worry about every day, while Hermione and I didn't have such a burden. No, I'm not saying that I didn't worry over the Weasleys – of course I did – but it was different for Ron because it was his close, immediate family. Your mother had wiped her parents' memories and sent them to Australia, so she did not worry too much about her parents. I didn't have any family. But your father had six siblings and his parents to wonder whether they were alive every day. And he couldn't contact them during the Horcrux Hunt, could he?"

Rose nodded. She was not totally convinced that this was enough to justify one abandoning his best friends on an extremely important mission, but she could see how this could affect one's mindset.

"Ron was also extremely insecure about always being a failure, a letdown. It didn't really help being the best friend of "The-Boy-Who-Lived" and the most intelligent witch of her age." Harry continued, "And he was also the youngest boy of a family with 7 children – he felt that he was inferior to all of his siblings. Bill and Percy were Head Boy, Charlie was Quidditch Captain, the twins were popular pranksters, and Ginny was the only girl, while Ron felt that he was always seen as 'Harry Potter's sidekick'."

"But Dad's practically the most famous Weasley now! Even more famous than Aunt Ginny, and she used to play Quidditch! How could he feel insecure?" Rose still did not comprehend the situation. Her dad, a man who was always confident and joking around – insecure?

"He wasn't back then, was he? Plus, all seventeen-year olds have extreme insecurities. Combined with the influence of a very dark artifact and my lack of planning for this quest, his fears and insecurities had a stronger presence on his mind, which led him to leave the Hunt," Harry responded to Rose's disbelieving remark, "Rose, I forgave your dad because I know he didn't fully want to leave. Yes, he was rash. Yes, I was extremely upset with him. Yes, he shouldn't have abandoned us. But he had been burdened with so many insecurities, fears, illusions, and expectations his entire life, that it all came crashing down with the Horcrux on him. Most of all, the fact that _he came back_ should prove to you that he was committed to our mission after all."

Rose pondered his words. "If my best friend for six years, my first friend ever, abandoned me on an important mission, I honestly don't think I would ever forgive him or her."

"Look at it another way, Rose. If you had just abandoned your best friends in a burst of anger, what would you do? After drowning yourself in guilt and regret, making yourself believe that your friends don't actually need you, would you still return to them? Rose, you need to know that your dad is probably the bravest person I ever had the pleasure of being friends with. I've been through so many troubles and suffering, yet he was always willing to stick by me; even when he abandoned us, he came back, and that's the most important part."

* * *

"… I will now hand it off to the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, Order of Merlin First Class awardee, Mr Harry Potter."

Thunderous applause welcomed Harry as he stepped onto the stage and shook the hand of the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, before standing before the podium.

"Today, we stand here to remember Minerva McGonagall, the beloved former Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor of Hogwarts. She was not only my professor and my Head of House during my time at Hogwarts, but she also grew to become my close friend and mentor.

"Many of us here remember her as a strict individual, quite unafraid to take points from even her own house, but above all one quality stood out the most: her dedication towards protecting the students. If Headmistress McGonagall saw any one of the students, Gryffindor or not, getting hurt, she would not just ignore it. She would defend the student, often at the risk of her career, or even her life. During the last year of the War, she tried to protect as many students from the Carrows' harm as she could. Even though she could have easily been killed in a castle controlled by Death Eaters, she would rather sacrifice herself than allow harm to any student.

"My respect for Professor McGonagall is insurmountable – she was the epitome of numerous admirable qualities. In particular, she was definitely the truest, worthiest Gryffindor I have ever met. It has been a great privilege to have known Minerva on such a close level. As we gather here today to commemorate her life, let us bid her farewell as we mourn the loss of a brave, dignified soul. A soul that taught fairness and justice to many, even during the circumstances, and whose legacy will live on forever."

* * *

"Happy birthday, Dad!" Lily cheerfully exclaimed as Teddy laid a vanilla cake complete with a large candle that shouted "50!" in front of Harry.

Harry beamed. While he was 50 years old already, he was still not used to celebrating his birthdays, but seeing the entire Weasley family and, of course, his kids always cheered him up. Teddy, Lily, Al, and James were all busy with their careers and personal lives after graduating Hogwarts, while he was also still caught up in the abundant responsibilities of the Head Auror, which meant that he did not get to see his children as often as he would have liked.

James' 2 years old daughter, Bonnie, clambered onto his laps and wiggled into a comfortable position. Harry chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his adorable granddaughter. "I want cake, Grampy!"

"We'll have cake soon, Bonnie," James assured, "But we need to sing a song for Grampy and he needs to blow to candle out."

"Would you like to blow out the candle with me, Bonnie?" Harry asked.

Bonnie bounced on Harry's lap with excitement. "Yes!"

As the entire family started singing, Harry took a better look of the cake. He was startled to find there were other words, in curly print, below the candle – "Happy birthday to Harry, Oh Bravest One!" His mind churned quickly as he considered who to hex for this ridiculous inscription – the obvious suspect was definitely George, though Ron was possible as well, or maybe James –

"Blow the candle, Grampy!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Harry nodded to his granddaughter. He'll interrogate the suspects later – after all, he wasn't Head Auror for nothing. Feeling so fortunate to be surrounded by all the people he loved, he pretended to blow out the candle as Bonnie enthusiastically blew out the candle.

Applause ensued, and Ron eagerly cut himself a large slice of the cake amidst the chaos. Harry handed Bonnie to James, and seated himself next to Ron.

"Did you come up with the bloody inscription on the cake?" Harry questioned.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, there are children here! Watch you language!"

Harry laughed. Even after so many years, Hermione has not changed.

"Plus, don't go accusing Ronald of the cake inscription. Your kids came up with it." Hermione continued.

"Wait, what?" Harry asked, surprised. "Let me go hex them right now."

Ron guffawed. "Leave it to Harry to hex his own kids for decorating his cake."

Harry walked over to where James, Albus, Lily, and Teddy sat. "What's this I hear about you guys adding a stupid inscription on my cake?"

Albus grinned. "Well, you always tell us stories about someone in your life being the bravest person you ever knew, but we disagree. We think you're the bravest person in your life. So we included something that will tell you so – on your cake."

Teddy and Lily nodded along to Al's words, while James added, "And I was the one who came up with the exact wording! Since the Daily Prophet already calls you 'The Chosen One', 'The Savior', I thought you'd need another title, 'Oh Bravest One'!"

Harry frowned. "Well, it's true – a lot of people in my life are extremely brave. But I don't _always_ tell you stories about them being the bravest, do I?"

"What about Aunt Hermione?" Albus inquired.

"And my parents!" Teddy echoed.

"Don't forget Neville!" Lily chimed.

"And Headmistress McGonagall, 'the truest Gryffindor', right?" George, walking up to them, jumped in.

"And of course there's Professor Snape," Albus added.

Rose, also hearing their shouts, also joined in. "My dad, too – or at least that's what you told me when I was fifteen."

Harry was speechless. Did he really name that many people as the bravest person he ever knew? But it was true… they were all extremely brave. And he was really glad there were so many people who listened so attentively to his words.

"But you can't have so many all be the bravest, Dad," James concluded, "the word 'bravest' is a superlative for a reason. So we've thought it through, and we found that since only one person can be the 'bravest', it's definitely you.

"Thus, happy birthday, 'Oh Bravest One'!"

* * *

Published on July 31, 2016: Happy birthday to Harry Potter! (as well as a belated birthday to Neville!) This was written as a tribute, a bit rushed to be published in time. I tried my best to create as many scenarios as I could where Harry would explain why XXX is the bravest person. I am really sorry for McGonagall fans - I know I did not do justice for McGonagall's eulogy, but I did the best I could. She is one of my favorite characters in the series, for the reasons I named in Harry's speech.

Please review! Thank you so much for reading!


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